This invention relates to a row marker for agricultural purposes and particularly for farm implements of the type having an elongated mainframe generally disposed transversely to the direction for its travel over a field in farming operations.
Row markers of the invention are especially useful on seeding machines or planters for row crops such as sugar beets, corn, beans, soybeans, sunflowers, cotton, and the like. They are also useful on grain drills for non-row crops, especially where efficient seed distribution without waste and overplanting is desired.
Row markers of a variety of types have heretofore been available. Those which have permitted remote controlled elevation or folding for the turn around operation at the end of a field have, even in the folded condition, projected a substantial distance outwardly from the end of the planter or have in elevated condition projected a substantial distance upwardly. The problem is that of accomplishing effective controlled planting as near as possible at the ends of fields, especially ends bordered by trees or fences.
Any solution to this problem which depends on manual adjustment of marker elements at the end of each planting strip is totally unsatisfactory. Remote controlled lifting or folding of the row marker is critically necessary; but as aforenoted, all known row markers having any capability of remote controlled lifting or folding are unsatisfactory from the standpoint of their projection so far outwardly or upwardly as to preclude convenient planting close to the end of a field bordered by trees or fences or the like.